The moment he held her last night, all the madness stopped. Despair instantly left Luo Ming’s body. That warm embrace, the cloyingly sweet kiss, and the warm breath of sunlight drove away the cold that had been haunting her.
She had intended to stake everything on a single throw, seizing the delicacy she had long coveted. She had abandoned morality and reason; her actions had been fierce and unrestrained, completely disregarding the consequences. Originally, she would have died without regrets, yet now, she wanted to live.
Because of him, she wanted to live.
Cleaning up the aftermath became incredibly difficult. Luo Ming knew deeply that last night’s agitation had exposed too much. She couldn’t even find a decent excuse to forcibly cover up her own madness and obsession. Fortunately, the boy still believed in her goodness.
They asked the Boss for a day off. She knew Gu Yu wasn’t someone who liked going out, much less someone who would give up a day’s income on the weekend to go shopping. This was all because of her; the boy had seen through some things, after all.
Old Street and its long alleys were bustling with the sounds of people. Most shops were open for the weekend, with pedestrians coming and going. Vehicles wove through the cement roads, and a few old trees along the street had withered branches, their vitality fading.
“Many things at home have been used up, so I planned to buy everything at once. Luo Ming, is there anything you want to buy?” Gu Yu walked beside her and glanced at her.
“I’ll … take a look.”
Gu Yu stopped in front of a small stall. The owner was a thin, middle-aged woman, and the stall was laid out with all kinds of beautiful decorations: hairpins, bracelets, rings, and necklaces. The workmanship was fine, but the materials weren’t great. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have appeared at such a shabby stall.
“Is it pretty, young man? These are all homemade. Why don’t you pick one for your girlfriend?” The woman skillfully struck up a conversation with him, predictably mistaking their relationship.
“Um …” Gu Yu picked up a silver pendant necklace engraved with a beautiful pattern. The design was very clever, simple and pretty. He held it in front of Luo Ming for her to see. “Is it pretty?”
“Mm …” Luo Ming nodded. Her mind wasn’t on the item; she noticed that Gu Yu hadn’t denied the woman’s misunderstanding. ‘What does that mean?’
“How much?”
“You’re the first pair of customers today, so I’ll give it to you cheaper. Just ten will do.”
“Okay.”
Gu Yu took out his phone, scanned the code to pay, then turned around and tucked the necklace into Luo Ming’s hand.
The girl was stunned for a moment. She looked up at the teenager in front of her; his handsome face wore a heartwarming smile, yet it also held a hint of suppressed shyness.
“A gift for you. Shall I put it on for you?”
“Tha — thank you.”
Gu Yu took the necklace, walked behind the girl, and brushed aside her beautiful black hair. The chain wound around her slender, snow-white neck and connected at the back.
Returning to the front of Luo Ming, Gu Yu admired it for a few moments, looking her up and down. “It’s very pretty. My taste is quite good.”
“Do you mean your taste in necklaces, or your taste in girlfriends?”
Luo Ming looked at him playfully. Gu Yu scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed, and defended himself in a small voice. “It was just a joke. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you.”
“It’s okay. I don’t mind.”
“… Mm.”
Gu Yu responded blankly and left the stall with Luo Ming. He glanced sideways, peeking at her expression; it was still as warm and calm as ever. ‘It seems she really didn’t mind.’
He could see that Luo Ming showed favor toward his actions, which led to his fantasies. He had boldly tried to close that final distance between them, but the girl’s reaction didn’t prove his theory. It was as flat as water, without a ripple.
In truth, Gu Yu was still perplexed by the chaos of last night. The girl’s face had been written with a resolve and obsession he had never seen before. She had forcibly kissed him and seduced him in a way she never had, making it impossible for him not to care.
Even if he couldn’t get an answer, he would still let his thoughts wander.
Though they called it shopping, it was effectively a date. He understood that Luo Ming must have suffered a pain deep enough to cause despair. Since she didn’t want to talk about it, all he could do was give her more beauty and warmth, while also satisfying his own selfish desire to admire her.
“Why are you suddenly giving me something?” Luo Ming tilted her head, her tone ambiguous. She knew exactly why.
“It … I felt like it suited you. It wasn’t expensive anyway.”
Gu Yu answered, pretending to be calm. A necklace wasn’t something one would give out of pity, so he told a clumsy lie. Fortunately, Luo Ming didn’t notice, or perhaps … she did notice but didn’t want to expose him.
Girls this age were clearly the most fond of beauty. He had seen many girls already learning to use makeup and dress like adults, often rebelliously refusing to wear school uniforms. They always wore beautiful clothes that reflected their vivid personalities.
Yet he had never seen any of that on Luo Ming. The girl always cycled through two sets of washed-out school uniforms, leaving no trace of any cosmetics. Clean and beautiful, she needed no makeup to enhance her. She was always the best-looking one in a crowd.
“Then thank you. I really like it.”
Luo Ming’s innocent eyes curved into a smile, narrowing into small crescents. There wasn’t a hint of flirtatiousness; she looked like a simple, innocent young girl no matter how one looked at her.
“As long as you like it.”
“Where are we going next?”
“Let’s go buy some clothes.”
Gu Yu pointed to the slightly old Wholesale Market ahead and led Luo Ming toward it.
This shopping center was very large. The environment couldn’t be called good, but it was fairly clean. It sold cheap goods that were high quality for the price. One wouldn’t see luxury brands that cost hundreds or thousands. The quality was acceptable, and the prices were low. Gu Yu always came here when he needed to buy things in the past.
He didn’t really know how to pick clothes; he chose based on his instinctive aesthetic of what looked good or bad. His taste was actually quite in line with the general public’s, as he had never heard anyone say what he picked was ugly.
A cyan women’s down jacket hung on the wall. Gu Yu looked up at it. The price was very much in line with the style of this old market; it was on sale, at a price point he could accept.
Gu Yu reached up to take it down and turned to show Luo Ming. “What do you think? Does it look good?”
“Mm … It’s okay. It’s quite pretty. Although it’s for women, it should look suitable on a guy, too.” Luo Ming looked at the thick fabric. Gu Yu would definitely look like a giant rice dumpling wrapped in it.
“Then it’s for you.”
“For me? Why — “
“Just like how you wouldn’t tell me the reason earlier, can you please not ask anything now and just accept it?”
Luo Ming’s lowered hand hesitated. This was the first time she had seen Gu Yu hide something from her. This boy, whom she could usually see right through, had become someone she couldn’t understand. ‘I — no, I can’t just accept such an expensive gift.’
“But you said you were cold. If you’re cold, you need to wear something thicker. What if you catch a cold? Besides, it’s not that expensive. Look, it’s on sale, it’s actually quite cheap. Just consider it an early New Year gift,” Gu Yu said naturally, his face full of innate purity.
He had found so many reasons for Luo Ming, trying his best to make her feel at ease about the gift. This was extreme care, the kind that couldn’t be given by just a friend.
“Boss, this one, this one.”
Gu Yu called out to the shop owner who was tidying clothes nearby. He paid and took the shopping bag the woman had packed and handed over, placing it in Luo Ming’s hand. “It’s already bought. If you refuse now, I won’t have any way to deal with it.”
“… Alright, thank you.”
Luo Ming thanked him softly. The bag in her hand was bulged out by the thick, large jacket. The corners of her lips curled into a beautiful arc. Suddenly, she didn’t feel quite so cold.